The Beauty of Names

Carrick Castle, photographed by Tom Wolf Origin: Gaelic Gender: Unisex Meaning: "Rock" Pronunciation: KAIR-rick Other Forms: Carrack, Kerrick, Craig Today we have a name that does double duty. It is not only a place name, but fits in amongst the Hudsons and Marlowes as a choice derived from a surname. I also think it could work in a growing sea of Gunners and Mavericks and all the other boys names that are uber-masculine and uber-popular, especially because of that sturdy meaning. Carrick is originally a surname derived from the Gaelic word carraig , meaning "rock" or "rocky place". It shares its origin with Craig, and I think Carrick would be a nifty way of honoring one without having to use the actual name. Carrick is a place not only in Scotland, but in Australia and Ireland, California and Wales, even in Pittsburgh! Carrick Castle is an amazing 14th century tower house on the west shore of Loch Goil in Argyle and Bute, Scotland. It was used as a huntin...

Isabella d'Este by Titian I'm back with one of my favorite series, where I try and come up with more unusual alternatives for lovely (but popular) names! Today we'll be doing the perennial Isabella. Isabella, for me, has a lot of the same qualities as Sophia  -- it's romantic, feminine, and elegant, with a long history of use and a wealth of namesakes, from the many Royal Isabellas to sultry film stars. It is quintessentially female, strong and regal.   Florence - While Florence has long been a favorite among name lovers for its soft elegance, I can really see it taking off even further due to actress Florence Pugh. Florence comes from the Latin Florentia, which itself comes from florens , meaning "prosperous or flourishing". The male form, Florentius, was used by many early Saints, like Florentius of of Peterborough and Florentius of Strasbourg. Of course, Florence is also a city in Italy, adding a hint of romanticism to the name. Currently, Florence ranks #...

Angourie Rice Origin: Aboriginal Gender: Female Meaning: Possibly "tail-feather of a seagull or sea eagle" Pronunciation: ann-GOW-ree Other Forms: N/A I've finally gotten around to watching Kate Winslet's new show on HBO, Mare of Easttown, and I'm really enjoying it so far. It's gritty, and perfectly captures small-town life. Her daughter, Siobhan, is played by Australian actress Angourie Rice (her sister also has an unusual name -- Kalliope). Of course, being name-obsessed as I am, I immediately dove into researching the name! Angourie herself is named after a town in New South Wales where her grandmother lived. Angourie is said to be from an Aboriginal word meaning "tail-feather of a seagull or sea eagle". For many of the indigenous people of Australia, the white-bellied sea eagle is an important figure, seen as guardian of the people and land. The seagull as well is highly regarded, and for some peoples it was common to have a small ceremonial car...

Cherry and Ed Ed Sheeran and his wife, Cherry Seaborn, just welcomed their first child, a little girl! Her name is Lyra Antarctica Seaborn Sheeran. Many believe the name is inspired by Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" books, as Ed is a fan of them.

Milan Kundera by Václav Chochola Origin: Slavic Gender: Male Meaning: "Gracious, dear" Pronunciation: MI-lahn, mi-LAHN, MEE-lahn Other Forms: Milen,  Milán,  Miloš,  Miłosz; Milena, Mila, Bohumila This name may have Slavic roots but its developed a Pan-European style, placing in the top name charts of Belgium, England and Wales, France, Hungary, the Netherlands, and even the United States. Milan comes from the Slavic element milu which means "gracious" or "dear" and started off life as a short form of names containing that element. This name has been a staple in the Czech Republic since 1935 and hasn't missed placing one year. Milan is also a place name, though the beautiful Italian city got its name from a very different source - the Ancient Latin Milan, which meant "eager, laborious". There are a plethora of namesakes, from Milan Kundera, the Czech born author of "The Unbearable Lightness of Being", to several athletes, and more r...

"Daughters of Pacini, Giovannina and Amazilia" by Karl Bryullov Giovannina and Amazilia/Amacilia - While looking at art by Karl Bryullov I came across a gorgeous painting of two girls who were the daughters of the Italian composer Giovanni Pacini. Their names were Giovannina, a diminutive of Giovanna, and Amazilia, sometimes called Amacilia. I can't find much on either version, except for a genus of hummingbird called Amazilia, but they're both gorgeous. Artwork by Iben Sandemose Iben - I have a soft spot for girls names that end in an N or an O or any other letter that seems to be more common for boys. Scandinavian Iben is no exception. Thought to possibly be a feminine form of the Danish nickname Ib, short for Jakob, it is also associated with the Danish word ibenholt, "ebony". Children's book author and illustrator Iben Sandemose gives it a touch of the whimsical. Arantzazu - There's this Spanish painter, Arantzazu Martinez, who's...

Carmel and Carmella - I've been really interested in Biblical names lately, and this one is one I actually like a lot, though it's actually the name of a place in the Bible, instead of a person. Carmel comes from the title for the Virgin Mary, "Our Lady of Carmel", carmel being a mountain in Israel. I love it's meaning as well - "garden". If it's a little too abrupt for you, there's also the more romantic  Carmella . Carina - I've never given Carina a second glance until hearing it on Kaia Scodelario's character in "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales". She's an astronomer, and a big plot point revolves around her and the fact that Carina is the name of a constellation which contains two stars with an combined luminosity five million times greater than the sun. Carina has a dual meaning in Latin - "dear, beloved" and "keel" as in the keel of a ship. The Carina constellation used to be...

A Young Lady Moorea Hastings Moorea - I've been looking at paintings and one was of Marchesa Luisa Casati (born Luisa Adele Rosa Maria Amman), a popular artist's model. She had one grandchild via her daughter Cristina, a girl named Moorea. An island in French Polynesia called Mo'orea (or sometimes simply Moorea), which means "yellow lizard", is where she was conceived and was subsequently named after. Pericles and Octavius - Moorea went on to have two sons with her two husbands, the Hon. Pericles Plantagenet James Casati Wyatt and Octavius Orlando Irvine Casati Black. To me they sound like characters out of "Harry Potter". Pericles comes from the Greek peri , "around, in excess", and kleos , which means "glory". Pericles was most famously an Athenian general. Hecate - I'm so thrilled Showtime's "Penny Dreadful" is back on. It premiered last night, and it was as sumptuous and wild as the first season was. Thi...

Origin : Latin or Celtic Gender : Female Meaning : Possibly "a hard or rocky land" or "a land of hard men" Pronunciation : kal-eh-DOH-nee-ah Other forms : N/A This is one place name I can get behind, 100%. The Romans gave the name Caledonia to what is today Scotland, and is used as a poetic name for, like Britannia for Britain. It may be related to the dominant Caledonii tribe, who were Pictish. Another theory is that it comes from caled the Proto-Celtic word for "hard". Others say the word is pre-Celtic. Sìdh Chailleann is the Scottish Gaelic name for the mountain Schiehallion, and means "fairy hill of the Caledonians". Scotland has many interesting animals that live there, from the ptarmigan and stoat that live high in the mountains, to the seal and golden eagle. The thistle is the floral emblem of Scotland, and the national animal is the unicorn, which has been a Scottish heraldic symbol dating all the way back to the 12th century....

Elsa and Chris Chris Hemsworth, of "Thor" and "The Avengers" fame, has welcomed his first child with his wife, actress Elsa Pataky, known for her role in "Fast Five". It is a baby girl whom they have named India Rose.